EMC Question of the Week: October 23, 2017
A significant advantage that carbon composition resistors have over metal film resistors is that carbon composition resistors,
- are cheaper
- have tighter tolerances
- are more resistant to voltage surges
- all of the above
Answer
The correct answer is "c". Thirty years ago most resistors were carbon composition resistors and they were cheaper than metal film resistors, which were primarily reserved for applications requiring precise values of resistance. Today however, most resistor use metal film technology. Carbon composition resistors are relatively difficult to find and expensive compared to metal film resistors. The primary applications for carbon composition resistors are situations where the resistor may be subjected to voltage transients.
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